How was your experience with Shweta Nayak at Reproductive Medicine Institute?
Very good communicator. Laid out all the medical science along with statistics and suggested courses of treatment. She also did a really nice job of presenting all options which often left me not knowing what to do but I'm glad I had all the information I could have wanted/needed so I could then consult with family, friends and other medical providers. Very thorough. Also, it was discovered I had cysts post-treatment and she's personally followed their progress since.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shweta Nayak at Reproductive Medicine Institute?
Dr Nayak took the time to explain processes and results over the phone or in the office whenever I needed.
Describe the protocols Shweta Nayak used in your cycles at Reproductive Medicine Institute and their degree of success.
Two weeks on a birth control pill. Then started 2 mg Estradiol and 2 mg patch of Androderm. Continued this for about 10 days. Went for baseline ultrasound and labs and ~3 days later started 225 units follistim and 50 units microdose HCG every morning and every evening. After ~4-10 days, added Ganirelix to this. After several more days, triggered with 10,000 units HCG.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Reproductive Medicine Institute. (Assigned nurse: Tracy)
Tracy was very organized and a good communicator over email. Her weaknesses, however, caused me to research other clinics knowing I would receive a similar protocol from other doctors who came highly recommended. In other words, since she was the primary face I dealt with, the doctor almost wasn't enough to keep me around.
She was very insensitive to the fact that I'd never given myself a shot. I received ZERO instruction and she never let me know there are videos out there I was supposed to be watching. I let her know I needed help but she never responded and it was the weekend and I was supposed to do my first shots the next day.
First of all, I should NOT have taught myself how to do a shot from youtube bloggers who are taking hcg for weight loss.
Secondly, the dosage instructions didn't make sense with the needle I was given. I had to go to the pharmacist the next day and ask them to explain for me. They agreed that they weren't sure what the dosage should have been when I posed my question to them. So they called the office and spent an hour on the phone with the on-call nurse, who also wasn't entirely sure. We ended up going with what the on-call nurse assumed was the best protocol with the instruction that I needed to follow up with my nurse, Tracy, on Monday.
When I followed up with Tracy, she stated in her email that whatever happened is between me and the pharmacy and she was uncertain what I wanted her to do. What I asked her to do was call the pharmacy so they could straighten out my dosage, if necessary. I asked her this two times and also ask that she call me. If a patient's pharmacy has a question on the dosage and even the on-call nurse isn't 100% sure how to proceed, I would expect a diligent, caring nurse to get on the phone with the pharmacy to be sure the patient is taking the right medicines.
Other nurses I worked with at this clinic while Tracy was on maternity leave were wonderful - Tiffany Abrams (who has since left) and Rachel Easton (unfortunately Rachel is in the Evanston office and I'm in Chicago).
The ultrasound and lab technicians were also warm, compassionate, and caring.
Describe your experience with Reproductive Medicine Institute.
The clinic needs to do a better job of educating patients on their shots. People are very skittish about giving themselves injections but a 5 minute, in person lesson (i.e. not ONLY a video) would truly have helped me with this process. I wanted the chance to ask questions and receive tips and tricks. For the intramuscular shot, I had to ask a nurse to do this for me (not my usual nurse, the weekend nurse). She was happy to do it but this is something my primary nurse should have offered. I even explained to her that I needed help with this one because I have a back issue wherein I cannot twist around to do it in the rear and also I am doing it alone. Some advice would have been helpful.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shweta Nayak at Reproductive Medicine Institute.
Follicle puncture for oocyte retrieval $2,700
Ultrasound Guidance for Aspiration of Ovum $1,000
Embryo culture 4-7 days $1,300
Progesterone blood work $105
Ultrasound Transvaginal $425